Can two people end up assigned to each other?

No — the generator always produces a derangement, meaning nobody is assigned to themselves, and (if you've added exclusion pairs) excluded pairs never draw each other either. Every other pairing is random.

How do exclusions work, and when should I use them?

List pairs who shouldn't be matched together, one per line as "Name A, Name B" — the classic use case is couples or housemates who'd rather not buy a gift for each other, or already know what the other is getting. The generator retries the shuffle until it finds an arrangement that respects every exclusion.

Does this send names or emails anywhere?

No. There's no email delivery or server involved — everything runs locally in your browser. Share the result by reading names aloud one at a time, or by having each person look at the screen individually and tap to reveal their own match, then hide it again before passing the screen along.

What if it can't find a valid arrangement?

With a lot of exclusions relative to the group size, a valid derangement may not exist (or may be very hard to find). If you see an error, remove an exclusion or add a couple more participants and try again.

SECRET SANTA GENERATOR

Draw random gift-exchange pairs for any group, with optional exclusions for couples or housemates. Nothing leaves your browser.

Participants (one per line)

6 people

Exclusions (optional — one pair per line, "Name A, Name B")

Use this for couples or housemates who shouldn't draw each other.

How to run your Secret Santa draw

1
Type each participant's name on its own line.
2
Optionally add exclusion pairs (like couples) so they won't draw each other — one pair per line as "Name A, Name B".
3
Click Draw names, then reveal each person's match one at a time.

Questions

Can two people end up assigned to each other?: No — the generator always produces a derangement, meaning nobody is assigned to themselves, and (if you've added exclusion pairs) excluded pairs never draw each other either. Every other pairing is random.
How do exclusions work, and when should I use them?: List pairs who shouldn't be matched together, one per line as "Name A, Name B" — the classic use case is couples or housemates who'd rather not buy a gift for each other, or already know what the other is getting. The generator retries the shuffle until it finds an arrangement that respects every exclusion.
Does this send names or emails anywhere?: No. There's no email delivery or server involved — everything runs locally in your browser. Share the result by reading names aloud one at a time, or by having each person look at the screen individually and tap to reveal their own match, then hide it again before passing the screen along.
What if it can't find a valid arrangement?: With a lot of exclusions relative to the group size, a valid derangement may not exist (or may be very hard to find). If you see an error, remove an exclusion or add a couple more participants and try again.